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U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer said he was shocked to hear the news earlier this week: Wikipedia has ruled that the Anti-Defamation League — one of the world’s leading authorities on anti-Semitic hate and a leading advocate for Jewish rights and causes in the United States — should not be considered a reliable source of information about anti-Semitism.
The ruling was a response to recent talk of a war between Israel and Hamas. But Gottheimer — and anyone paying attention to the situation — knows there’s more to it than that.
“This is really the same disinformation and smear campaign we face at home and abroad,” he said. “Whether it’s on TikTok or on social media, the attacks are palpable, the disinformation is palpable.
“Our job — and I can’t stress this enough — is to make sure young people know our history. Not just American Jewish history, or U.S.-Israel relations, but all of history, so they understand what really happened.”
Gottheimer has been a leader in truth-telling since he was first elected to represent the five continents.day 2016 Congressional Districts.
His efforts in U.S.-Israel relations and educating the public about Israel’s history, from the Holocaust to the current October 7 Hamas invasion, are best known as the Holocaust Education and Anti-Semitism Act, better known as the HEAL Act.
The bill passed in January but still needs to be considered by the Senate.
Gottheimer said the purpose was evident during protests on college campuses in New Jersey and across the country this spring. Gottheimer said the truth needs to have the greatest impact on the next generation of college students.
“When it comes time to speak up, like we’ve seen on college campuses, we need to make sure they know what’s really going on and not just follow someone else because they’re screaming and yelling inflammatory words,” he said.
“That’s the reality our country faces right now.”
On Thursday in Teaneck, Gottheimer was honored with the third annual Maurice Katz Award.
The award is named after the prolific artist and is Maurice Katz Foundation,as well as Orthodox Jewish Chamber of CommerceThe award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing education, combating anti-Semitism and fostering gratitude and appreciation for the United States.
Katz, a Holocaust survivor, was known for collecting paintings of American presidents as a way of expressing his gratitude for being able to live peacefully in democratic America after World War II.
Gottheimer is well aware of the significance of the award — and its relevance to today’s turmoil in the world.
“Morris Katz understood that,” he told a crowd of several dozen people at the ceremony. “In portraying the president of the United States, he understood the history of our great country — our democracy, our values, what we fought for and what we defend.”
Since entering Congress, Gottheimer has worked to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations.
“This is critical to America’s national security, our fight against terrorism, and our support for democracy in the region,” he said. “This is about the values we stand for and about countering terrorists who continue to attack the United States.”
“This is an attack on democracy and our country. The terrorists hate America far more than they hate Israel. They hate what we stand for, everything we fight for, and everything we do every day. And that’s what this fight is about. It’s good versus evil.”
It’s about defending the truth, Gottheimer said.
“This is about making sure we come together as a community and stand up and make sure everybody understands what this means: hate,” he said. “This is about standing up to all forms of hate, whether it’s anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.
“We need to stand up and say ‘this is not in Jersey.'”
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